Family Isn't Always Fun
by Wolfofsherwood
Summary: Kagome thinks everything is fine until her cousin Sentry shows up and falls into the well! Now, Sentry can't get home and they need to find a way to get rid of her before she kills Kagome, or worse, seduces Sesshomaru! Rated for violence in later chapters
1. Welcome to Japan, Sentry

**Wolf**: Hi there, everyone! It's a bit of an altered timeline story, so enjoy! (Also, I don't own Inuyasha and I don't like spamming. Reviews, please!)

Kagome looked around in surprise. She had a horrible feeling running down her spine, making her brown eyes widen. Inuyasha saw her stiffen and walked over hesitantly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking where Kagome's gaze was moving. It was toward the Bone Eater's well and the God tree. She seemed disturbed by something and he didn't know why. Truthfully, she didn't know either. It was just a sudden dread.

"I just got a really bad feeling," she replied. "Could you take me to the well so I can check up on my house?" Inuyasha was confused, but he waved to Sango and left with the girl. Kagome went home and her feeling grew worse. Something was happening but she didn't know what it was.

The house seemed fine and Souta and her grandfather were working on some spells of some sort. No one she thought could have died had died, so what was it? Nothing was burned down or broken beyond repair, but the feeling of dread kept getting worse and worse.

Once she walked into the kitchen and caught sight of her mother and her guest, she froze. It was worse than she could have imagined, even with all that anticipation. Her cousin was sipping tea and looked up. It was the cousin they never talked about, the troublemaker.

"'Sup?" the girl asked, smirking. She looked annoyingly like Kagome did, but her eyes were a mismatched purple-and-green pair and her hair was cropped and spiked, with red tips. She had piercings running up and down her ears, a fact Kagome hated. Plus, she was a tomboy with a fondness for cargo pants and tank tops, particularly black ones, like now. Her pants were grey, covering her shoes. As an American, she hadn't taken the shoes off at the door. It didn't really hurt anything because they were clean, but it seemed so rude to track dirt into the house.

"Mom?" Kagome asked uncertainly. Her mother knew for a fact that the two girls, although the same age, hated each other with a fiery passion and seemed to make the fiery pits of Hades shiver. Their fighting certainly proved that they aggravated each other to an unhealthy extent.

"Sentry will be staying with us while her parents are here in Japan," Mrs. Higurashi said, silently apologizing. Even her unfailing likeableness couldn't soften this blow.

"They want to get away from me for a bit," Sentry explained further. She smirked as she said it, standing up. "Your mom said I could bunk in your room for the next few weeks while my parents get a break." Sentry tipped an invisible hat to Mrs. Higurashi and said something in English that Kagome didn't catch. She was so behind in her language studies it was no surprise Sentry would resort to that.

Later that night (Because I'm lazy) 

Kagome might have hated her cousin, but she was a good girl at heart and offered to share her bed. Sentry declined and unrolled her sleeping bag. It was probably more comfortable than the bed, anyway, she told the Japanese girl.

After a fight over that, which Souta had to help break up, Kagome and Sentry were sent to different sides of the room and tried to sleep. It would do no one any good for Sentry to break her cousin's arm, after all.

Kagome just plotted and waited for her chance. Unconsciousness claimed her too soon, though.

Sentry woke up with a strange feeling in her stomach. She shook her head and saw that Kagome was sleeping peacefully. That fact made her really want to draw something on her face, so the girl took out her trusty marker and scribbled the English letters for 'Prep' and walked out of the house.

The whole house was weird, Sentry noticed. It was nothing like her apartment back in America. But there was a certain beauty about it, even if she wouldn't admit it. The tree was particularly interesting, with the rope around it. It seemed to radiate an ancient power, a power that felt familiar somehow.

Something caught her eye and she turned toward a weird building not connected to the house, too big to be just a shed. The door was open, which was another strange thing for Sentry. She always kept things locked up tight. It seemed to have something glowing inside and Sentry thought Souta was awake and messing around. Immediately, her attitude returned and she tossed her head.

"Kid, you better get out here," she called, looking inside. "Your mom is going to kick your butt for being up this late on a school night. And I'll kick your butt first to annoying me." She huffed at that, walking toward the building and not hearing anyone scramble away. Either Souta was really quiet or he hadn't been there.

Instead of finding any trace of Souta, Sentry found that the glowing was inside a weird well in the ground. She wondered if there were a flashlight or something stuck down there and went down the ladder to check. Then, everything went black and she felt the strangest sensation of going home.

Next chapter will be up in about a week.


	2. American's aren't very nice

**Wolf: **Hey! It's me again, this time with a surprisingly early new addition to the story. This one has some insulting language but probably no profanity, so don't be offended for any of the characters. I promise they can deal with it. Also, the next chapter should be up really soon, probably Monday-ish.

"Hey, could you help a cousin out down here, Souta?" Sentry called up, noticing immediately that there were stars above her. She hadn't noticed the hole in the ceiling before. The family would really need to get that fixed. It was huge, which was especially strange. She was usually very observant.

Feeling around, Sentry finally found that the ladder had disappeared. It was very, very strange, but Sentry just put a foot on either side of the well climbed up again like a monkey, seeing that she wasn't back in that building. It was a forest, complete with noisy animals. This was why she hated leaving the city. Weird things always happened. She'd somehow ended up in the middle of Nature.

Gross, she thought.

"Well, Dorothy, we're certainly not in Kansas anymore," Sentry said to herself, shaking her head. "The parentals are going to be thrilled when they hear I'm in Wonderland with Alice and the rabbit." She reclined on the edge of the well and sighed.

Something rustled in the bushes and suddenly Sentry was assaulted by a little orange blur. Upon closer inspection, it seemed a puny little boy with a bushy fox tail was hugging her. He was sort of cute and his little paws were hanging onto her for dear life. His ears were especially adorable and looked like they were made of velvet or some such thing.

"Kagome-chan's back!" the thing was saying. "Sango-chan and Miroku-sama will be really happy! But what happened to your hair?" Sentry's amusement at the little thing went out at that name.

"That's nice, kid, now get off me," she said in annoyance. "And don't call me that name."

The fox kid looked up in confusion. "You're not Kagome-chan," he said with a shake to the head. He seemed very confused by this fact, studying Sentry's face closely. She looked just like Kagome at a distance…

"And you're not a pet, so get off my lap." The acid in that tone was enough to make the child flinch and back off. Sentry felt a moment of satisfaction before she turned again. There were two people in the bushes, both looking very strange. Their clothing was weird and the woman (the other was a man with a staff) had some sort of huge boomerang on her back. It was very primitive-looking.

"You're not Kagome-chan, right?" the woman said uncertainly. "You look… different than her." Sentry rolled her eyes at the obvious fact.

"Thank you, Madame Sherlock Holmes," Sentry replied. "Of course I'm not that girly little bimbo." She crossed her legs and looked at the man, who hadn't spoken yet. He walked up to her and took her hand, making her stand.

"My name is Miroku. Would you bear my children?" he asked in complete sincerity. This took no one back since he gave off a lecherous feeling. Sentry noticed that the man was touching her butt and frowned at him.

Sentry saw the woman moving toward the man, but before she could reach him Sentry reacted. She tossed the man over her shoulder and almost into the well, but she was too kind for that. However, kicking him in the stomach and making him fall to the ground was perfectly acceptable.

"Touch me again and I'll break both your arms instead of just giving you a few bruises," Sentry said coldly to the fallen form. She looked at the woman, who seemed impressed. "Does he do that a lot?" She nodded and Sentry sighed. Along with ending up in strange places, she also attracted perverts.

Before anyone could say anything, Kagome's voice echoed from the well. She climbed out and saw Sentry, freezing yet again. "I thought only I could do this… How did you get here?"

"I fell down the hole in the ground, Kagome," Sentry replied icily. "Duh." Kagome frowned at her cousin and she cursed in English. Someone heard the noise and stepped out. It was a man with dashingly silver hair and wonderful dog ears. He looked confused and gazed toward Sentry and Kagome.

"There are two Kagome-chans!" he shouted, pointing. Obviously, there was something inherently strange about two people looking alike around here wherever _here_ was. Everyone was making a huge deal out of it.

"Get neutered, dog-boy," Sentry hissed, turning to her cousin. "How do I get back to reality?" Sentry looked at Kagome's forehead and burst out laughing. Her message was still there.

"Nice look, Prep," Sentry said, recovering. Kagome simply glared. She was used to Sentry's pranks; nothing would faze her when she was determined to prove something.

"Just go back down the well," she replied. Sentry jumped down without another word. It would be a relief to just go back to sleep.

Nothing happened. Kagome found herself blushing as Sentry's curses and threats to the well echoed to their ears while she climbed back out. Inuyasha looked at Kagome for an explanation, but she was too busy watching her cousin kick the edge of the well and look around accusingly.

"Why couldn't I go back, Kagome?" she asked, looking right at her cousin. The girl shrugged and Sentry walked off in a huff. She needed to cool her head before she hurt someone. That was the extent of her anger management. She wouldn't kill anyone.

"Who was that, Kagome-chan?" Sango asked. Kagome sighed and shook her head.

"That's my cousin Sentry-san," she replied. "She's visiting Japan from America with her parents. Don't be offended if she speaks rudely with you. She does it with everyone."

"Where's America?" Shippo asked innocently. Kagome prepared a lengthy explanation, but she saw Inuyasha move to go after her cousin. Shippo didn't really care where America was anyway, so she walked over to the half demon and stopped him from moving. He looked back in surprise.

"Don't worry about her. She can find her way back to the village by herself. She always does." This was accompanied by a sigh. Kagome remembered numerous times when Sentry had done something to her so she tried getting the girl lost in the city. Of course, Sentry, being the annoying person she was, made it back to the house first and laughed that Kagome must have gottne lost instead.

Inuyasha shrugged and Kagome walked back to the village with the others, knowing that eventually Sentry would show up there. Even if they tried avoiding each other, someone would be able to calm Sentry down long enough to find them. If she didn't show up within the hour, they would look if they were too worried about it.


	3. The meeting

**Wolf:** Hi! I didn't say it last time, but I don't own Inuyasha… But I will… Enjoy!

Sentry turned to see someone standing behind her. She was prepared to fire more insults so she could be alone, but the man standing there was handsome enough to take her breath away for a moment. Then she was back to her normal self.

"I like your change in hairstyle, Kagome-san," the man said with a smile. "It's very different." He wasn't the same as dog-boy, but his hair was the same color and a moon adorned his forehead. Sentry liked his style. He looked very tough and untouchable.

"Call me Kagome again and I'll break your nose," Sentry replied. "The name is Sentry. And my hair is really bad right now, so don't try and flatter me." Sentry waved to the man and noticed the little green lizard man by his feet. There was also a little girl there, dressed in a checkered kimono. The lizard was sort of cool, but the girl was cute.

"Shall I punish her for her insolence, Sesshomaru-sama?" the lizard said with a smile. He brandished his staff and the child looked worried. Sentry thought it just looked like a stupid staff with two heads on it. It was almost as lame as the hat he was wearing. It was just like out of some feudal story with demons and samurai.

"That will not be necessary, Jaken," the tall man replied. He looked at Sentry and smirked. "I like your spirit. It's very refreshing." He stepped closer to the girl and she hissed.

"I just want to go home," she growled. "Go lick your butt or something, dog breath." She gave Sesshomaru a lazy wave and walked to where she assumed town was. That man was too dignified to follow her, but he did watch Rin trot behind her. The young girl picked up a small piece of paper and went to take it back.

Sentry saw the girl and rolled her eyes. "What do you want, kid?" she called, stopping to bend down to her level. Rin blushed and looked down, embarrassed. She handed over the paper and Sentry took it, noticing that the girl flinched as she came close.

"I don't bite, honest," Sentry insisted, smiling. She suddenly didn't look intimidating at all. Sesshomaru, standing watch over his young charge, seemed confused that the girl's personality could alter so much. She was obviously a human.

"What's your name, little girl?" Sentry asked kindly. She heard a twig break somewhere in the forest, but dismissed it as an animal. Little did she know that Kagome and Inuyasha were looking for her. Kagome had finally broken down and decided to search for her cousin.

"Rin," the little girl replied. Sentry smiled again and sat down on a convenient fallen tree. Rin sat next to her and smiled shyly.

"You can come out now, Mr. Sesshomaru," Sentry called, not noticing that she used the English 'Mr.' instead of the Japanese 'san'. She had, however, had noticed the discreet movement. The man in 

question nodded to her and Rin rushed over. Immediately, Sentry heard someone else cursing and called, "You can come out too, dog-boy. Bring your girlfriend."

Kagome looked darkly at Sentry, but her glare was no match for the icy attitude. Sentry was a master at making people feel uncomfortable around her. Sesshomaru bowed to Inuyasha in a mocking way as he looked Kagome over. That was definitely the real one, silly school uniform and all. Now that he could see them both, there were obvious differences close-up.

"Stop goofing around, Sentry-san," Kagome called to her cousin. "Kaede-san thinks she knows a way to get you home. You'll have to go there and meet her to be sure."

"And skip out on all the hot guys around here?" Sentry replied. "I'm not letting you have all the fun with them." Sentry winked. "Besides, they'll like me better. I'm much more experienced than you, Miss Virgin."

Kagome blushed and went after her cousin with murder in her heart. Sentry just laughed and the demon and hanyou watched their catfight unfold. Sentry prepared another insult, but Kagome beat her to it.

"I may be a virgin, but at least I'll still be pure when I'm married!" she hissed, swinging at her cousin. The blow missed and Sentry had no urge to fight. She would just spit some words and see if she could get her cousin to cry. It would make her feel better about this situation.

"But you haven't even kissed a guy and you're already fifteen!" Sentry replied. "Unless you're planning on marrying your doggie friend, I suggest going home and trying to put on a little lipstick to catch that brunette from your school. He's cute."

This had Inuyasha blushing as well, but Sentry and Kagome weren't finished. It was obvious they hated each other and Inuyasha looked at his brother. Sesshomaru seemed amused, watching Sentry closely. She was a very interesting human.

"You can only get close to guys because your hair is so short they don't recognize you as a girl!"

"At least I can work up the courage to ask them out! How many boyfriends have _you_ had, Kagome?" She laughed at that, making a large 'O' with her fingers. "That's a big zero!"

Kagome's face flushed in anger and she spat something unrepeatable. Sentry spat something worse, in both English and Japanese, with other languages thrown in. It ended up as a big jumble of hateful words the others couldn't understand.

This was only the beginning, though…


	4. Hurtful words

**Wolf**: Yeah... Sorry about the wait, but I'm drowned in schoolwork lately...

And now for the story

After the battle had worn on, Kagome looked at her cousin and decided to pull out the most hurtful words she knew. It was over the line, but Sentry had already crossed that one with the 'virgin' thing. She needed someone to teach her that messing in another girl's love life was strictly against the rules.

"I might not have much experience with boyfriends, but at least I have taste! Unlike you, Sentry-san, none of my nonexistent boyfriends have tried to kill me!"

The very air went cold with that one. Sentry looked at her cousin and Kagome could see two possibilities to that situation, one in each eye. Her green eye seemed to be hurt and sad, ready to cry, but her purple eye held nothing but ice and malice. That one wanted her dead and buried.

"Take that one back, Kagome," Sentry said with enough venom to make Sesshomaru flinch back. By this time, Miroku and Sango were here with Shippo and had heard that last insult, along with a few before then. They were just as affected by the voice. Sentry sounded scary before. Now she was downright murderous.

"What if I won't?" Kagome asked, not being reasonable. Sentry moved like lightning, skirting toward her cousin, aiming to kill. Inuyasha was only just quick enough to block the hit for her and he was thrown backward a bit because he misjudged the power behind it.

"It's _my_ fault I almost died, is that what you're getting at?" Sentry asked, looking only at Kagome. She was used to this beastly side of her cousin. It was a normal reaction to her sour attitude. It was only a chance to make sure she was still alive.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Kagome said from behind Inuyasha. "And you started this. Don't pull out the guilt card when that's already over and done with."

"Just take me home," Sentry growled. She looked at Kagome and spoke in English so she couldn't understand. "I don't understand anything anymore."

Inuyasha saw Sentry clench her fist and stick it in her pocket. The girl was the first he'd seen to wear pants like a man from her time. He'd assumed all women wore skirts, after seeing both Kagome and her mother wear nothing but. She was interesting and violent and cocky, almost like Kouga. But unlike him, she could control herself and knew that this battle was, and should have been, ended .

"Inuyasha, can you give us both a ride?" Kagome asked sweetly, hoping the answer would be 'no'. Sentry waved to Sesshomaru and started walking in the direction of the village. She had a feeling it was this way, and her feelings were usually right.

"Wait up!" Shippo called, going after her. Although he loved Kagome like a mother, he was worried about the new girl. She smelled strange and almost reeked of unshed tears.

"What do you want, fur ball?" Sentry called back to the kid, looking down at the ground. Shippo pouted and looked up at the girl, tears threatening to overflow. She was just so mean! How could she stand making other people feel bad?

"What's up with that look?" Sentry asked defensively. She didn't like making people cry, but they annoyed her. It wasn't her fault that people around her couldn't take a few insults. They needed to toughen up to her words.

"You're not very nice." Sentry rolled her eyes. This was why she couldn't deal with kids. They always stated the obvious. She preferred to leave that sort of thing to people like Kagome, who would no doubt have at least three children of her own and contribute to the world population crisis.

"I don't have to be nice, kid. I'm from New York, where no one is nice. Most people can't afford to be." Shippo looked confused, so she picked him up and started walking again. It wouldn't help her if she just left the kid behind. She'd probably get in more trouble and get sent home sooner. She wanted to stick around for a little while.

"It must not be a nice place to live," Shippo imagined.

"It's not, but it's home. Sometimes, you meet people that you like there, even though they're not nice to anyone else." She smiled at the little kid. "You must be good friends with my cousin. She treats you like her brother Souta." Sentry stopped. "She treats you getter than her mom, even."

"Kagome is really nice! Why don't you like her?"

"I don't know, kid. Something about her face makes me really want to punch it. It's very strange." Sentry laughed at that, imagining punching that good girl in the nose. It would be really satisfying to hear that pretty little nose crack. Of course, she'd get put back into anger management for it, but it would be worth it.

As Shippo started speaking more, Sentry noticed that the plants were getting smaller and smaller, a sure sign they were near a village. The trees were giving way to roads and Sentry could see Kagome and her mutt ahead of her. They'd managed to beat her there.

"Sentry-san!" Kagome shouted, waving. It seemed that she was putting up an extra effort to be nice, so Sentry didn't reply. She just kept walking until Kagome pointed out Kaede's hut, whoever she was. This would be useless, that much she knew. Something about this didn't feel right.


	5. Cleansing

**Wolf: **Sorry for the wait, but school loaded me with a million tests this week... Anyway, enjoy.

* * *

The hut was old and looked very ancient Japanese. Sentry put out any thought that it might have modern necessities and sighed. She had to meet the person who lived there, and then she could go home. It turned out to be an old hag and Sentry looked completely unimpressed.

She was shriveled and sort of fat with wrinkles. Her hair was a faded gray color and she wore a classic priestess-type outfit. Sentry didn't bother with the proper names, but she saw that the bottom was red and the top was white. It was just that simple. Japanese people were just smug about it.

"Why do ye have metal in your ears?" Kaede asked immediately, looking disturbed. Sentry glared at the woman, annoyed. She contemplated for a moment whether or not to reply, but intercepted a look from Kagome. It wasn't her forte, but Sentry decided to play nice for once in her life.

"It's a piercing," she explained. "It's really popular where I'm from. She lifted her shirt and Inuyasha, who'd somehow managed to come inside, blushed a deep red. It was almost as red as his clothes, but Sentry thought he looked a little bit to burgundy to be the same.

Sentry's reason for lifting her shirt was to show off a bellybutton ring she'd gotten the year before. It was pretty cute in her opinion, but Kagome looked a little grossed out. Sentry just winked at the girl and tried keeping back anything she wanted to say. It was hard.

"I believe ye are not spiritual enough to go back," Kaede stated after looking at Sentry. "Ye came here through the well, did ye not?" Sentry rolled her eyes and let one comment slip. She wasn't going to be too nice, after all.

"No, granny, I flew here in a magic airplane," she said with a smirk. Kaede looked completely blank, but Kagome was going red with rage again. It was really fun to make the girl angry. She was going to blow a coronary or something soon. Maybe her head would explode.

"Sentry-san, stop being so sarcastic all the time," she growled, making Inuyasha shrink back. Sentry just laughed and silently challenged her. If she wanted to fight, they would fight. It was that simple and entirely Kagome's choice.

Kaede saw the standoff and stepped in between them. "I will perform a cleansing ceremony and then you should be able to go home. It will take time." She looked at Sentry severely. "I ask that ye think very pure thoughts until the full moon."

Sentry only nodded and walked out, winking at a cute man every now and then. The more she thought about it, the cuter she thought the general population was. Sure, the girls were average, but more than a good half of these men were her type.

Sentry walked into the forests again, simply to get away from her cousin. No one wanted them to kill each other and several of the men were a bit afraid. Without thinking, she sat down on a log and her mind drifted. She was immediately drawn to the confusing tangle of relationships in this time and place. It seemed that everyone was coupled with someone else. Most of the cute ones were already taken. But that Sesshomaru… he was cute and single. She could think of a few things she'd like to do with him.

Of course, she'd have to help push Kagome to Inuyasha, too. She knew he was head over heels for the girl and she was the same, so it was obvious that they should actually admit their feelings. Plus, if Kagome got with someone she might be a little less feisty.

That Miroku and Sango were obviously together, but Miroku didn't seem to notice that the woman got insanely jealous over him. Sentry shrugged. She knew both of them were mature enough to handle a relationship.

And then there was Shippo… That little demon was cute, although it would probably give Kagome a shock to see that her cousin thought things like that. He was just a kid, and Sentry expected Kagome to take care of him. She was just like that and Inuyasha treated the child like he was his father.

While in those thoughts, a twig snapped and Sentry turned to see Sesshomaru stepping into her line of sight. She smiled, an unfamiliar gesture, and gestured for him to sit down. He did, although it was obvious he'd rather have stood.

"So, what's up?" Sentry asked. Sesshomaru looked up for a moment, almost like Kagome did whenever Sentry asked her the same question. It must have been an American thing so she changed her statement. "What did you want?"

"I came to return this," Sesshomaru replied, holding out what looked like a fountain pen. Sentry grabbed it quickly, hiding it behind her back. People weren't supposed to know she had this, and if she'd left it in Japan she would've beat herself up for weeks about it.

"Thank you," Sentry said quietly, bowing in Japanese fashion. She wasn't familiar with the gesture and stood up again. Sesshomaru looked a little startled, but Sentry was glad to see she could put a crack in his armored emotions.

The man stood up after a moment of silence, probably feeling how awkward the situation was. Sentry smirked as if to say that she was happy he was there, but Sesshomaru didn't turn. He strode out of sight, probably more than a little confused. Sentry had that effect on people.

"Thank you!" she called after him, waving. Then she sighed, knowing that it was futile. She'd have to get him into her trap some other way. He wouldn't be drawn in by her American charm. That only worked with stupid people.

Sentry stood up and realized that she was completely calm now. Talking with that silver-haired man was doing her some good. Maybe she could figure out how to snag him and think pure thoughts at the same time.

This was something to think about. Sentry walked back to the village.


	6. Another meeting

**Wolf: **Okay, this story is starting to drag, so I'm going to limit myself to no more than 10 chapters. That means this story is more than half over!

* * *

The village, despite Sentry's bad attitude, accepted her and moved on. Sentry saw things she'd seen before in books, but wasn't interested in them. She really just wanted to scope out Kagome and Inuyasha.

The two in question were having what seemed like an argument. Inuyasha was smashing into the ground for no reason at all, which, Sentry admitted, was pretty cool. She saw Kagome huff away and stepped over to the half-demon.

"You okay?" she asked in amusement. "Kagome's temper is dangerous if you don't know how to handle her."

"So I noticed," Inuyasha replied sourly, getting up and dusting himself off. Sentry saw this as an opportunity to either make him a friend or an enemy. She decided she wanted him as a friend.

"If you really want her to be nice to you, compliment her hair or something," Sentry said lazily, gesturing to her own head. She likes feeling important." Inuyasha looked at Sentry like she was an alien or something. She frowned at him and spoke. "I'm just trying to help, you know."

"Why?" he asked suspiciously. Sentry shrugged and started walking again. If he didn't want help, that was his problem. She was just going to help them both; otherwise their awkwardness would start to irk her. She'd dealt with enough of that back home.

"Clean thoughts," she said to herself, walking away. She thought about something random, trying very hard not to think about Sesshomaru. This led her to wander around the forest again. That scent was somehow familiar.

Sentry, being the city girl she was, didn't realize she was being followed until the stranger jumped down on her. Immediately, Sentry lashed out and tried to struggle. She was being suffocated by this stranger and she hadn't even seen him yet!

A grunt of pain encouraged the girl a little and she kept up her assault. Those defense lessons actually came in handy in this world. Kagome probably got kidnapped every other week in this place. She was strong in will, but not in body.

"Kagome!" the voice on top of her said between lashings. "Kagome, it's just me!" Sentry felt the weight leave her and her heart got colder than she thought it could before. They kept calling her that girl.

"I'm not her!" Sentry shouted. She looked over the man in front of her and wasn't impressed. It was yet another demon, this time one with tanned skin and brown hair. He had a wolf tail, but it looked mangy and he obviously didn't groom much.

"Well then who are you?" the demon asked, getting angry fast. He smelled that she was Kagome, or someone very close to her. She looked like her, even sounded like her. Of course he would have been confused.

"I'm Sentry, you bonehead," Sentry replied scathingly. She was taking her anger out on him unnecessarily, she knew, but it was fun to yell at people.

"I'm Kouga," the demon said huffily. "I'm leader of the wolf tribe." He looked at her closely and smirked. "You're a strong one."

"Really? I hadn't noticed." This comment was coated with sarcasm that bit even Sentry. She turned and walked away. These demons were showing up everywhere. If the world was that cool, why couldn't she leave?

Sentry, not knowing what else to do, walked to the well to see Kagome emerging again. "Why can you do that!?" she stormed. "I want to go home!" Kagome looked surprised at Sentry's level of annoyance. Usually this would be an opportunity for her to nag her cousin, but Kouga was trailing along behind her.

The wolf demon leapt from his position to be next to Kagome. He was reaching an arm around her to carry her off yet again, but Sentry placed a kick that connected to his stomach and he stopped.

"Back off, mutt," Sentry said quietly. Kagome was almost stunned at this point. Her cousin was never nice to her. What was going on with her? Had the world changed her this much in such a short time?

"I'm _not_a mutt," Kouga pouted. "I'll see you later Kagome." He smiled warmly at her, at least. To Sentry he shot a glare. "I'll repay you for that insult." Sentry just winked at him and put a protective around Kagome, just to spite him. His teeth were bared, but he didn't dare say anything.

Inuyasha appeared at that moment, seeing Kouga and growling. "Well, it seems the mutt and the dog boy know each other," Sentry said to herself, sitting on the well and watching. There was going to be another confrontation and she secretly cheered. Maybe Sesshomaru would show up for this one.

"She's mine," Inuyasha said with a snarl.

"No, she's _mine_," Kouga snarled back. Sentry noticed that Kagome watched with a sort of resigned expression. Sentry decided to make small talk while they waited out the fight. They wouldn't be allowed to leave until then, she was sure.

"You're just going to belong to the winner like some trophy?" she asked, seeing Kouga's foot plant itself solidly into Inuyasha's shoulder.

"They do this all the time anyway," Kagome replied. "I'm not some trophy, thank you very much." Sentry chuckled at the venom in her voice.

"If you're really not some useless girl you should choose one and keep him until you get bored. Then, you'll be able to see who's better." Kagome looked completely shocked at that and Sentry winked. "It's just a suggestion. That's how you date in America."

"That's so horrible," Kagome said with a look at the fight. It seemed that Inuyasha had the upper hand in this fight. Kouga was still bruised from Sentry's beating. "How do you fall in love if you dump everyone who bores you?"

"You don't get bored when you're in love," Sentry replied matter-of-factly. "Love means you always trust and love them, even when they act strange. You have so much in common you never get tired of talking to them." She paused. "At least, that's what it means to me. It's different for other people."

Kagome stared. Her cousin was being nice. Something was wrong. Of course, at that moment, Kouga hit Inuyasha and he flew back toward the girls. Kagome knew instantly that he wasn't going to be able to stop in time. They would be hit.


	7. Injuries

**Wolf:** Hi! Sorry I've been away for such a long time, but my computer's internet source went completely down for a week and my modem is, like, haunted or something. It turns off and on for no reason. Don't worry, though. It's fixed… I hope.

* * *

Sentry stood suddenly and used her body as a shield for Kagome. Inuyasha noticed this and tried to move himself, but he was in the air and there wasn't much he could do to stop his momentum. Sentry took the brunt of the shove and felt the wood of the well rip into her back as she was catapulted back to the ground. Kagome had been knocked over as well, but she wasn't seriously hurt.

"God fucking damn it all!" Sentry shouted to the air, feeling the warmth of blood run down her shirt. Splinters were no doubt embedded into her skin and it would take hours to clean her wounds.

Kouga looked pale as Sentry shoved Inuyasha off her. She knew something had been bruised inside her. She would take that stupid wolf to hell and back for this. Inuyasha was already by Kagome's side and seemed concerned.

Sesshomaru's strange little lizard caught Sentry's attention long enough to let Kouga run away. He may have been a prideful wolf demon, but that human gave him some sort of vibe. It wasn't a pleasant one and was completely different than the caring Kagome.

"What do you want?" Inuyasha asked rudely to the person standing behind the girl. Sentry turned to see Sesshomaru regarding her coldly. He watched a dribble of blood flow down her back and licked his lips unconsciously.

"Sentry-san, are you okay?" Kagome asked, hurrying over to her cousin. Sentry brushed her away and looked at the demon.

"Worried, were you?" she asked coyly. Sesshomaru seemed a little surprised at her boldness, but it didn't show on his face for more than a split second. That was all Sentry needed before smirking.

"I smelled the blood," Sesshomaru said coldly, turning to leave. Sentry frowned and moved to throw him the birdie, but she hissed in pain as her back muscles tried to work around the infinite amount of splinters.

"We have to go back to the village," Kagome said decisively, looking at Inuyasha harshly. "Carry her for a little while, okay?" Sentry noticed that Kagome looked almost cool when she was taking control of the situation.

"I hate getting hurt," Sentry muttered over and over again. "I hate getting hurt, I hate getting hurt." Inuyasha carried her to the village, where her wounds were cleaned in the river. Shippo watched this while Sango and Kagome kept guard. Miroku would no doubt want to sneak a peek at the shirtless Sentry.

"How did ye hurt yourself so badly?" Kaede asked as she cleaned. Sentry winced while this was going on, but she was used to pain by now. It wasn't so bad once she learned to ignore it.

"Fighting, of course," Sentry replied tartly. Her back smarted and she was fairly certain she was being watched by someone. She just couldn't tell where it was coming from. Or who it was, for that matter. That was something that bothered her.

She hated not being able to see who was coming whenever she was out in the open. Sudden pain made her cry out.

"What are you _doing_ back there?" she asked irritably. Kaede's fingers weren't gentle when she pulled the remaining splinters out. Sentry probably deserved it, but she didn't want people to walk all over her if she did something taboo. She wasn't that kind of girl, after all.

"Finished," Kaede said with a small grin that Sentry couldn't see. If pain didn't teach the girl a little respect for pacifism, nothing else would. Talking hadn't worked in the future and it certainly wouldn't now.

Sentry straightened her back temporarily and saw Kagome coming with what looked like gauze. "It's for your wounds," she explained, glaring at Sentry like getting injured had been her fault. "Don't think this makes everything okay."

Sentry shook her head proudly and caught a glance of white out of the corner of her eye. Either it was Inuyasha or Sesshomaru and there was no chance of Inuyasha being so close without Kagome noticing. She seemed to have a sixth sense about these things.

"Sango," Sentry said, fumbling over the word. It was strange to speak it the Japanese way instead of the Americanized version of it. Sango turned anyway and smiled questioningly.

"I think there's someone over there," she continued, nodding her head in the direction of the movement. Sango smirked and snuck up on the being probably in the trees while Sentry got her wounds bandaged. This hurt worse than the splinter incident itself or the splinters being pulled out because now all the adrenaline was gone and she was left with nerves open to the sun. It was terrible.

"You dog!" Sango shouted, her huge boomerang flying through the trees. Sesshomaru's lizard servant ran through the underbrush, his staff making a clear sign of where he was going. Miroku and Inuyasha appeared, of course, and Sentry was ogled accordingly.

Sentry didn't mind the looks, but Kagome started making a big deal out of the men seeing her half-naked. It must have been much more taboo than it was in America, because people on the streets wore not much more clothing than this in New York and no one said anything. They just took in the view and moved on.

Sentry stood once the bandages were in place and pulled her shirt on over her head. The back had small holed all along it and her bra had been ruined, but she was still covering the essential parts that would be stared at. It was good enough to just let it be for a while.


	8. Almost had him

**Wolf:** Yeah, I'm finally back. Here's the scene I've been promising for you all!

* * *

Over the next couple of days, Sentry acquainted herself with the scenery. It was all nice enough to look at, but pretty boring overall. There were no guns, no cars, and no television. All she could do in her free time was think pure thoughts and try and catch snippets of conversation with Sesshomaru. She liked being able to talk with that demon. He was surprisingly like herself and his hatred for humans almost matched her hatred for being in this time.

The people of the village had supplied her with new clothes and Sentry felt very obvious in a kimono. She wasn't wearing her normal pants and that made her nervous. Pants had been something she'd always worn since the day of her 'accident' with her boyfriend. It was a comfort thing.

As Sesshomaru started staying longer and visiting more often, Sentry formulated a plan in the back of her mind. She liked this guy and wanted to have him, even for a little while. He had a surprisingly dry wit and she found that he hated when she made faces at him. To him, it was one of her eccentricities that was annoyingly cute. To her, it was a trap to make him fall for her when she finally put a plan into motion for him.

It was on the night of the full moon that Sentry finished her plan. She smirked to herself at the next time she'd see her doggy friend again. She reminded herself of pure thoughts, but it was hard to concentrate when she had more appetizing things to distract her.

Kagome and Inuyasha had already been taken care of, being sent on some wild chase with Shippo, who was surprisingly willing to help. Sango and Miroku were minding their own business so Sentry was allowed a little time to wander around.

While she walked one of the many paths in the forest she'd already come to know, she felt her sandal get caught on a twig on the ground. She knelt to untangle it and the now-familiar scent of both mint and dog hair, Sesshomaru's scent, hit her nose. Sentry stood up, confused as the smell seemed stronger now that she was concentrating on it.

"Sesshomaru?" Sentry called, turning around and trying to see into the forest. She had a feeling he was there, somewhere. She didn't know where, but she would find out sometime. He never just sat back and watched her once she noticed him.

"Yes?" he said suavely, stepping out of the bushes and looking magnificent, as always. Sentry's heart fluttered before she put on her usual smile and stepped closer to him.

"What do you think of this new kimono?" she asked, turning around for him to admire her. She hoped he would say something to dampen her spirits, so she had an excuse to make faces at him. His anger was beautiful. It would prevent her other plan from going into effect, a plan that would make Kagome positively livid.

In other words, both would be positive situations.

Sentry would prove once and for all that it wasn't hard to get a man, even in two days. She liked Sesshomaru, it was obvious he liked her body, if not the rest of her, so she'd capture him.

"It's very… pretty," Sesshomaru replied, looking Sentry up and down. Sentry noticed the action and smirked. It was her chance to make a move now.

"It feels really nice, too," she continued, stepping closer. "Seriously, touch it. It's like silk." Sentry grabbed his hand and placed it on her chest, the unbandaged part, pulling it open a little to show him how soft the inner lining was. If that didn't make him react, she decided she'd give up on him entirely. That sort of move should have had a man completely entranced.

Luckily for her, Sesshomaru jumped a little and his claws slipped to touch Sentry's skin. "It's very soft," he murmured, smirking. Sentry felt her face blush a little and he felt the lining a little less hesitantly.

As this was happening, Sentry felt his other hand suddenly wrap around her and draw her closer. He was a dog, after all. Dogs didn't spend all their time being shy about getting what they wanted.

Sentry liked it that way and was about to kiss him, stealing his body's favor, when Inuyasha burst from the bushes and shouted. Sesshomaru disappeared into the darkness and Sentry glared at the mutt. He'd completely ruined her plan.

"Thanks a lot," she hissed, fixing her kimono and looking around for Sesshomaru. "If you have enough time to ruin other people's potential romances, I suggest you hurry up and kiss Kagome." She rolled her eyes at the half demon. "How many chances have you had, anyway?"

Inuyasha blushed and his ears drooped. "You and Sesshomaru are…" he started, looking a bit confused. Sentry sighed and wished she had some soda to drink. Stupid people gave her low blood sugar.

"We're not now," she replied. "I like him and he probably likes me, but we're nothing you could understand. It's not like that true love stuff Kagome is always hoping for." Sentry rolled her eyes. "That doesn't really exist, I'm sorry to say."

As she looked around one last time to try and find Sesshomaru, she realized that her chance had been blown. If he would appear again, she knew that it wouldn't be in her favor. He'd been tricked before she'd sealed the deal. He would be clued in on her plans for him next time and his guard would be up.

Inuyasha still didn't seem to understand Sentry's way of thinking, but he disappeared, knowing that the same look on Sentry's face crossed his whenever he inadvertantly thought about Kikyo. She was probably thinking about a past love that hadn't ended well.

In fact, Sentry was thinking of just that and knew that someday she would find someone just like the man she'd loved before. Sesshomaru was his opposite, always secretive and never revealing his feelings. Her old boyfriend had been the most emotional person she'd ever known, sort of like Kouga and just a quickly to anger. He'd been the one she loved and look where it'd gotten her. All she had left was just enough lust in her body to play with other people she found attractive, taking what she wanted for as long as she wanted it and then moving on to the next player or sap she managed to lure in.

Sesshomaru wasn't just another toy for her, though. She could forget while she was with him. That made him special in her mind.

Sentry sat down and sighed, closing her eyes in thought. She could salvage this little incident somehow. She just had to think of a way to make her little fling last even a few days more. After she went home, she wanted no regrets. These memories would make it a little easier to recover, maybe to find someone else who shared the same sort of personality and try a real relationship. Something like that would have been nice.

Sesshomaru watched as Sentry absentmindedly rubbed places on her arms where there were deep scars that looked as if they'd never heal. At least the injuries on her back would be cleanly healed. He'd seen the technology Kagome had brought back from her time and was sure of it. Despite himself, he worried about the frail human. No matter how cruel and demonic she was, she still had a human body and that was easily injured.

This proved that Sentry had been wrong about one thing in her thought process. She hadn't completely lost Sesshomaru. In fact, she'd lured him in quite a bit more than she'd imagined. His heart, however cold and lonely that heart may have been, was slowly opening.


	9. This time I got him

**Wolf:** Hello again, all you readers! Here's the penultimate chapter, so prepare yourself for the final chapter, which will be coming up soon. I'm still not sure how this is going to end, but I'll be working on both it and my summer work over the next few days. Warning: there's a little bit of fluff, because the summer heat and, consequently, the melting of my brain, has turned me into a sap...

* * *

Sentry's moods grew much calmer after that incident, mainly because she was almost forcing Kagome and Inuyasha together. Because her own relationship had failed, or so it seemed, she was going to make Kagome less uptight than she usually was.

When she wasn't coaching Inuyasha on what to say, she was consoling Kagome on the sudden turn of events. It was fun to watch her cousin stumble through love, although she thought it was even more fun that Kagome was taking her mild insults just as badly. They fought a lot, which made Kagome turn to Inuyasha for support.

Sentry soon grew bored of that, though. She was healing slowly and it hurt to walk for too long, so the walks she took were usually short and uneventful.

Even though it had been a little while from her arrival, people still confused her for her cousin and that revived her anger, which had almost died in this place. Luckily, the fights that ensued were quick and dirty, serving more as exercise than actual necessity.

While Sentry healed and Kaede worked on a way to purify the girl. Sentry was resistant to everything she tried, failing again and again to go back to her own time. Kagome, on the other hand, was easily coming and going from the modern day to inform her mother and the rest of the family of her cousin's whereabouts.

Each time, Sentry got more and more frustrated with her injuries and her inabilities. If only she had friends here who understood her! But no, she was alone in Japan, speaking a language she was forced to speak.

"Sentry-san!" Kagome shouted, interrupting Sentry's thoughts. Sentry jumped, seeing something out of the corner of her eye. Sentry turned, expecting Kagome to come from there, but Kagome came up from behind, startling Sentry yet again.

"If you were there, who was that?" Sentry wanted to know. Kagome shrugged and Sentry stretched her back, feeling the tender muscles pull and constrict in complaint. Sentry groaned at that, but she followed her cousin back to the town.

"We have another method of purification for you to try," Kagome was explaining. "With some good water inside of you and your body purified, maybe you can trick the well long enough for you to go back home."

Sentry sighed and allowed the others to make her do as they wanted. She didn't care anymore. It was obvious that that old bad Kaede was just guessing now and she didn't really have any answers for her. She might as well make the best of the situation.

Later that night, while Sentry rubbed her legs from yet another spectacular fall into the well without being able to move back to the future, she felt a chill wind sweep the hut she was staying at. Taking it as a bad omen, Sentry stepped out into the night where she thought she should have gone.

Something was drawing her there, although it seemed that no one else had been affected. Inuyasha was sleeping in a tree. Sango and Kagome were still in their beds. Miroku was nowhere to be found, which was probably a good thing. That man was obviously acting like a pervert to work out his personal problems. Because he was a priest, Sentry assumed he'd done nothing more than touch, but she could never be sure about him.

When Sentry was out of sight of the village, she saw a gleam of white in the shades of black and green. "Sesshomaru?" she asked the still night air. That strange wind was gone, replaced by the normal night temperature. Whatever had caused that last breeze must have moved on.

The white-haired figure that stepped out of the trees was a sight that made Sentry's heart skip a beat. When had she become so obsessed over this man? She wanted to snag his heart, but somehow he'd managed to snag hers instead.

"Good evening," Sesshomaru said pleasantly. Sentry smirked at the demon and leaned against a tree, her back complaining. It was still healing and didn't like her pulling on the scabs. She pain brought her back to reality.

"A very good evening," Sentry told him, looking around discreetly for either his little lizard servant or his little girl. The demon doted on that girl, although he obviously didn't realize it. If he had, from what Kagome and Inuyasha had said about him, he would have pushed her away. He was supposed to hate humans or something. Since she was too young for him to blame his libido, when he realized his feelings she would be forced away.

The few seconds that was allowable for silence soon stretched into almost a minute while Sentry scanned the woods carefully. It really looked like there was no one there, even pesky demons names Shippo or Inuyasha who managed to appear in all the wrong places.

Suddenly, Sesshomaru was standing directly in front of Sentry and she jumped. "Don't look away from me," he ordered softly, taking her chin gently and making her look up at him. Sentry saw something in those amber eyes that made her smirk triumphantly.

"Now why would I look at a bunch of trees instead of the man in front of me?" Sentry asked, relaxing into the role of a flirt. Sesshomaru seemed to be surprised that she was still so forward, but Sentry wasn't going to let him get away for a second time. She didn't have much time before her cousin and Kaede stumbled upon a way to get her back home.

Without warning, Sesshomaru put a hand around Sentry's waist and pulled her toward him. She fit comfortably into his embrace and winced as she felt him stiffen at his own actions. She hadn't figured him for the type to be embarrassed by affections. He'd been eager enough to steal her kiss when she'd been the one to instigate it, but he was obviously a little shy.

When Sentry pulled away, she noticed that Sesshomaru was, in fact, blushing slightly. That flash of crimson on his pale skin was beautiful. Without thinking, she reached up to touch his face, the tips of her fingers gently brushing heated skin.

The dog demon pulled away and Sentry pulled her hand back, resting it to her chest. This demon was obviously infatuated with some part of her, but she wasn't sure which part it was. She tilted her head and let the sting of rejection settle in some part of her heart that she didn't have to deal with right now.

Sesshomaru saw Sentry turn away from him and unconsciously tightened his grip on her waist. She winced at the uncomfortable embrace, so Sesshomaru dropped his arm, not quite knowing what to do with this girl. She was so frail, and injured on top of that. How could he not hurt her?

Sentry giggled at his loss of knowledge. Gently, she guided his arm around her waist and gently put one arm around his hips, her hand stopping at the small of his back. She smiled up at him and rested her forehead on his shoulder, smelling that musty scent that was Sesshomaru.

"I won't look away unless you give me a reason to," she told the demon. Sesshomaru gulped and cursed quietly. Then he pulled his other arm around Sentry and pulled her close to him. Sentry was surprised at his gentle embrace, but wasn't complaining. She wrapped her arms around him, her hands feeling his hardened back through the fabric. Her chin was now in his shoulder to make her that much closer to this demon.

That was when Kagome's voice started filtering through the trees. She and Inuyasha seemed to be searching for her. Sentry sighed and mentally prepared herself for when Sesshomaru would shove her away and disappear, but it didn't seem to be happening.

"Sesshomaru?" Sentry questioned, feeling the grip on her tighten for a moment. Before her mouth had closed, Sesshomaru had her in a kiss that could have stopped her heart completely. It was both gentle and passionate, embodied with something Sentry could only identify as love. It wasn't edgy enough to be simple lust. And it wasn't flirty enough for her to just brush it off as a spur of the moment.

Before Sentry could get over the shock, there was a startled gasp from the sidelines. Sentry kissed Sesshomaru back before he ripped himself away and disappeared. Sentry touched her lip where his tooth had cut her in his rush to escape. That was one way of leaving an impression, she thought sardonically.

"What is it?" Sentry asked her cousin, who was watching her with startled eyes.

"You weren't in your bed so I was worried you might have been kidnapped by someone," Kagome said, a little breathlessly. From how she acted, Sentry would have guessed she'd seen a little more than just a kiss. The girl was too innocent for her own good.

"If you suddenly find me gone, I guarantee it's not because I was taken somewhere I didn't want to go," Sentry stated. "Now, about you and Inuyasha…" Kagome groaned at that, not wanting to talk about her romantic interests.

"It looks like we both enjoy fishing for men outside of the species, is all," Sentry commented airily, walking back to the village with Kagome a few feet ahead. Kagome shook her head at her cousin and didn't notice that Sentry looked back to the trees and winked, blowing a kiss. Sesshomaru seemed a little surprised that she knew he was still watching, but he smiled at the human who'd managed to steal his heart.

Sentry tried to sleep and found that she didn't want the next day to come. If it stayed like this forever, she would never have to leave Sesshomaru to return to her own time. His kiss was still tingling on her lips when she felt unconsciousness force her into a light doze and a few dreams. In each of them, a man with stunningly white hair saved her. Then they would kiss like a prince who'd just rescue his princess, making her heart twist.

Needless to say, the dreams were pleasant ones and Sentry woke refreshed and in a surprisingly good mood.


	10. What happened?

**Wolf:** The finale approaches! Yes, you read me correctly. This is the end. I wrote a bunch of original fiction in between the last chapter and this one, so I don't know if it'll effect my writing style at all. Anyway, this is kind of long, so it's fitting for it to be the end. Enjoy!

* * *

Sentry's final test was approaching. Kaede claimed that if this didn't work, she would eat her own bow. It was the simplest solution and had worked once or twice before. All Sentry had to do was keep a piece of the Shikon jewel with her while she tried to get back. Inuyasha had done it, so it should have worked on Sentry too.

"Don't compare me to dog boy," Sentry said, insulted. Inuyasha flushed and was prepared to attack, but Kagome stopped him with some nonsense about Sentry being kidding and just wanting to make him angry.

Finally, the night arrived and Sentry realized that this was her last time to be in the forest. She hadn't seen Sesshomaru since he'd kissed her and she blushed uncharacteristically at the thought. Sesshomaru hated humans, apparently. He hadn't shown any inclination toward Kagome, so it was safe to assume his infatuation wasn't on her looks.

It couldn't have been something small, like her eyes or something, Sentry thought in annoyance. Men never went for drivel like that unless they were in a romance on paper. Even then, the words sounded corny.

While Sentry mulled it over, she saw Rin watching and smiled, gesturing for the girl to come closer. She did, but not without hesitation. Sentry was wearing a white kimono for the purity she would need for the next day.

It made the woman look like a forest goddess out taking a stroll, but Rin said nothing of the sort. She just sat next to the woman and watched the fireflies glowing in and out of the trees.

"Rin, if you went somewhere nice and met someone who you liked a lot, would you want to stay in that nice place instead of going back home?" Sentry asked suddenly. "I mean, if you really liked that place but your home was far away and you had to leave everything behind?"

Rin chose to say nothing, but hugged Sentry around the waist. Her dirty face smudged the kimono, but Sentry didn't mind. A little dirt here and there wasn't a bad thing. Besides, she was getting tired of wearing white all the time.

Something in the brush crashed and Sentry looked up, glaring at whoever had dared to interrupt her moment. It seemed to be only a small animal of some sort, but Sentry wasn't convinced. She smelled a familiar musky scent in the air and hoped secretly that it would be who she thought it was.

After a moment, Sesshomaru stepped out of the bushes, making Rin run to him and take his hand. Sentry smiled softly, knowing that Sesshomaru would be well taken care of when she went home. Rin was a good girl.

"Mutt!" someone shouted, howling at the moon. Sentry sighed. Was that idiot going to be joining the party too? Pretty soon she'd need to book tables.

"Aloha, Kouga," Sentry said with a wave of the hand. She leaned back against a tree and sighed, knowing that the stupid wolf demon would be starting fights soon and she would end up being escorted back to the village.

Kouga noticed Sentry looking appetizing as a replacement for Kagome, but he reminded himself of how much he loved that woman and not this one. Besides, it looked like Sesshomaru already had his claws in her.

"I'm just going this way," Kouga said as he received a glare from Sesshomaru. Rin had disappeared somewhere, understandably. Kouga could be a little scary when he wanted to be. Sentry didn't know about the wolf incident an no one had bothered to tell her.

Soon enough, they were alone again and Sentry pretended not to notice. Sesshomaru leaned over her, taking in her scent and the way the moonlight reflected in her eyes. He leaned down and took her in his arms, not sensing anything except Sentry's arms slowly snake around him. He shut his eyes, feeling a small and sort of shy peck on the lips.

"That won't do," he growled, making Sentry giggle. She liked this demon, loved him even. She wanted him too much and it would hurt going home.

Her lips pressed against him in a better kiss, but it was still meek, especially for the forward girl Sesshomaru had come to expect. He growled, a sound that reverberated in his throat and made Sentry smile all the more. He would have to work for his rights to her lips.

"You're easy to tease," she commented, smirking and leaning away from Sesshomaru. He looked annoyed with her and she could only smile. After all, she was obviously making fun of him. She wanted to see how he would react.

"If I can't have your lips," Sesshomaru said quietly, smirking as Sentry's pulse quickened without her consent. She groaned at his acute hearing, which he also picked up.

His lips attacked her throat, making Sentry gasp. Sesshomaru was obviously no wallflower, but his tricks were surprisingly intense. He must've taken on a lot of lovers in his time.

"Stay," Sesshomaru commanded softly. "Don't go home." With his mouth roaming her neck, Sentry found it hard to refuse. Of course, she couldn't just dump her entire family, either. They would be a tiny bit worried about her.

"I don't know," Sentry said as Sesshomaru's lips found hers. This time she was drawn in, but still teasing him. Sesshomaru pressed Sentry up against her tree, forcing a reaction from her. She smiled and refused to give more than he could steal.

"Ask nicely," she chided him, looking at the beautiful man who could disappear at any second. If he wanted, she would have gladly gone with him, but she had her family to think about. They would worry a little.

"Please," Sesshomaru said in annoyance. It didn't even sound like a question. He failed and Sentry frowned, turning away before smirking. Sesshomaru noticed and decided to play along. It wouldn't do any harm.

"Please?" he repeated, making Sentry smile at his hopeful face. She leaned down to kiss him and instantly he had her trapped once more. This time she was a willful hostage and demanded the embrace to mold to her satisfaction as well. She liked his kisses, but she liked his soft touches just as much.

Perhaps it would have gone further if Inuyasha hadn't hurried to get out of the clearing. He'd only gone for a midnight stroll! He didn't expect his brother and Kagome's cousin to be getting intimate where anyone could see them!

Sesshomaru stopped and turned to look before sighing. His brother was the bane of his existence and he pushed something into Sentry's hand before taking off.

"Way to go, again," Sentry said, straightening her clothes. She'd gotten into one of the best kisses of her life and the dog had to ruin it. It was actually a little clichéd when she thought about it that way. At least it hadn't been Inuyasha watching intently.

"It's not my fault you guys start doing that where anyone can see you!" Inuyasha replied, raising his voice in annoyance. Sentry shrugged and started walking back to the village. Once her little dog friend was spooked, he wouldn't come back.

"I'm going to bed," she told the mutt, walking toward the huts. "If you see Sesshomaru, tell him that I'm still thinking about it."

"What?" Inuyasha said in confusion.

"He'll understand. And by the way, you should take notes from your brother. Kagome would like it." She grinned at the confused man. "Kissing, you idiot." Inuyasha, unsurprisingly, blushed.

Sentry went back to her bed, sighing and trying to sleep. Should she stay here and condemn her family or go home and lose someone she might have actually loved? This was too confusing! Someone should have just chosen for her.

In the morning, the idea of someone else choosing for her was looking more and more appealing. She eventually picked up a shiny blue stone from the ground and looked at it, going to her old clothes and finding a necklace. Weighing both in her hands, she spied Shippo bouncing around.

"Fur ball!" she shouted, waving him over. When he was looking at her curiously, she continued. "Do you want to play a game with me?" Shippo nodded immediately, acting like a typical child. Sentry led him to the forest and into a familiar clearing with plenty of brush around.

She turned back to the little demon. "I want you to take these two things," she said, giving him the necklace and stone. "Hide them around this clearing while I'm not around and make sure it's hard to find them, but not impossible. I'm going to go back to the village so I can't cheat and then I want you to come get me when you're done."

"Why?" Shippo asked, looking at the girl with something like innocence. She hadn't seen that sort of face in a long time and it made her heart ache. The demon was like a child in every way and she wanted to be able to be happy like he was.

"It's going to help me tell my future," Sentry promised, smiling. She saw the demon run off with both items and walked away. Whichever one she found first would be the one she didn't go to, she decided. She wouldn't go back on that and she wouldn't ignore anything.

Almost an hour later, seeming like an eternity to the waiting Sentry, Shippo came back covered in dirt. He grinned at Sentry and she set off for the forest, going to the clearing and seeing nothing out of place. Her search began.

The ground revealed nothing obvious, so Sentry looked up in the trees and also saw nothing. Shippo hadn't taken the obvious route it seemed. Sentry continued searching, digging through loose grass and flowers, sighing.

If she stayed, things with Sesshomaru would be great. He'd actually tolerate her, unlike her last few boyfriends. Plus, she could always send messages to her family through Kagome and her infuriating ability to move through time.

But if she left, she could have all the things she loved, like her friends and indoor plumbing… She missed toilets. The whole era stunk of nature and she didn't really like nature. She preferred cities, where her home was. School was okay. She even liked seeing that yappy little dog in the apartment next to hers.

The decision was so hard and Senty sighed, taking a break from her searching. Her hands were scratched with thorns and she rubbed them irritably. She'd asked Shippo to make it hard, _but not impossible_. It had been a long time already. How well had he hidden those things?

"Lose something?" a familiar voice said behind Sentry, noticing her foreign clothes and the fact that she looked annoyed. Sentry nodded and crossed her arms, feeling Sesshomaru observe her. He was silently gesturing for her to go on.

"I'm looking for either a blue stone or a black necklace," she told him. "Whichever one I find first will help me out with a problem I'm having." Sesshomaru saw her sad eyes and immediately knew which problem she was referring to.

Sentry started looking again once she couldn't bear to meet Sesshomaru's eyes. She bent down and looked under rocks and in trees, searching for her necklace or the stone. Which one would she find first, she wondered?

"Is this one you're looking for?" Sesshomaru asked from behind her. His voice played with her heartbeat and she whipped around to see him holding her blue stone. She felt tears well up in her eyes and pulled out the black necklace from where she thought it was.

"I saw the blue stone first," she said, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. Sesshomaru looked concerned because she was almost crying, but he couldn't really do anything about it. After all, she was a human and he didn't understand her emotions.

"I guess this is goodbye," she said with a small smile. "I'm going back to my time if this time works." Sesshomaru looked at the stone accusingly. The dirty little rock had made the girl in front of him choose wrong!

"But you had the necklace in your hand first," Sesshomaru said quietly, angrily. Sentry just shook her head and closed her eyes.

"I told myself, the first one I found is the opposite of where I'm going," she told him. "The stone means I go home."

The demon swore and threw the rock away from the couple. It hit a tree and made a large indent because of his anger. He put his arms around Sentry and made himself a cage around her, not letter her go even when she moved to leave.

"Sesshomaru," Sentry said dangerously.

"Don't leave me," he replied, looking down at her. He wasn't looking at her like it was love, she realized. It was only possession and his skewed emotions. She struggled to break out of his arms, growling profanities in English.

"Shippo!" she shouted, hoping that someone would help her leave this demon. Sesshomaru's grip on her loosened as he heard running feet, but he didn't let Sentry go.

"Please, stay," Sesshomaru told her, his eyes turning into something closer to what she recognized, but he was still acting like she was some kind of machine that would do as he told it.

Sentry kissed him softly before thrusting forward and hitting Sesshomaru in the stomach. The damage wasn't much, but the surprise was enough that his grip loosened for a moment. Sentry darted out of his grip and ran, tears streaming down her face.

"Bastard," she said to herself. She remembered when her other boyfriend had gotten that possessive. It had been just before he'd tried to kill her, claiming that he loved her too much.

Kagome rushed toward her cousin when she saw Sentry panting and holding her necklace in her hands. "Let's get this thing started," she said with a fake smile, wiping her tears away. "I'm ready to go home."

"What happened?" Kagome demanded, probably acting a little selfish when it was obvious her cousin was distressed.

Inuyasha appeared and smelled Sesshomaru all over the girl, but he wisely said nothing. It didn't smell like anything bad, but it seemed that Kagome's cousin had had a big scare involving his brother. She stank of terror. She'd probably seen the real him, the one that hated all things human and only wanted what suited his interests at the time.

Kaede seemed prepared and the group made its way to the well, Kagome in the lead. She pulled out their large part of the Shikon Jewel and handed it to Sentry, feeling like an idiot. It was surprising they hadn't thought of this before now.

Sentry felt a power grip her spirit and knew somehow that this would work. She wanted to go home and Inuyasha had brokenly explained that this jewel granted wishes. She hoped that it would work for her. Sentry turned to Kagome and nodded to everyone.

"It's been fun," she said with a soft smile that Kagome didn't know her cousin possessed. Then Sentry was gone down the well and she didn't hit the bottom. Sesshomaru turned away from where he'd been watching. That human had left a hole in his chest, but he ignored the urge to jump after her.

* * *

Sentry looked around and saw that Kagome had followed her. The American handed her cousin the Shikon Jewel without a word and looked around. It was dirty there. She was surprised she hadn't broken her neck in the reentry, really. Sentry let Kagome climb up the ladder first, while she was thinking, and then looked around at the yard, which was familiar to her but seemed different in daylight. Kagome's mother was waiting with two cups of hot tea, which the girls accepted eagerly.

"Your parents haven't started worrying yet," the woman continued to Sentry. "I've just finished making dinner, so you're welcome to come in and eat whenever you two are ready."

Sentry nodded and looked up at the sun. She was really back in the right time. It was nice outside and something glinted over by the tree with the ropes on it. It seemed like metal, but Kagome had caught it too, so it must not have been a thing of her imagination.

Looking around, Sentry pulled out a piece of worn metal that had somehow weathered without dulling. It was stuffed in a hole in the tree and she looked at the strange symbols on it. "This looks Japanese," she said with confusion, scratching her head.

"It is," Kagome said, looking at it and not recognizing the old style of kanji. "Come with me." Sentry followed her cousin to her grandfather's rooms, finding the old man praying.

"What?" the old man asked irritably.

"What does this say?" Sentry asked, ignoring his attitude for now. She would steal his dinner when he wasn't looking.

The old man stared hard at the piece of metal before snapping his fingers. "That's 'ai shiteru,'" he told the girls before turning back to his praying. Sentry still seemed a little confused, not immediately recognizing the term.

"That's the serious way of saying 'I love you,'" Kagome told her cousin, sighing. "Who gave it to you?" Sentry had a feeling she knew, but darted back out to the tree and reached her hand inside of the hole. She pulled out a blue stone and bashed her head against the tree trunk. Kagome stopped her, looking concerned.

"Back off," Sentry told her harshly, sinking to the ground and clutching the piece of metal tightly. She'd made a mistake and she knew that she couldn't go back. She was an idiot.

* * *

Back in time, after Sesshomaru had put the piece of metal in tree, he carefully forgot everything about his human love. She was gone, not yet born even when he was expected to die. It would have been impossible anyway. Humans were useless and their lives flashed by in an instant. He would have long outlived her, even if she'd decided to stay. There was no use remembering.

**

* * *

**

Wolf:

Yes, I'm evil and I made the ending sad. I'm tired of happy endings and I'm in a really bad mood so I don't know if Sesshomaru is acting consistently with the rest of the story. I think this is more of the real him and, although I'm a fan, I think he'd act more like this than some kind of Prince Charming. Review it if you like it. Flame it if you hate it. I'd really like to know your opinions.

Until next time, I bid you happy reading.


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